The Final Judgement
by GwendolynMoon
Summary: Two years after the war, Hermione finds herself living a quiet lifestyle. Harry returns to Hogwarts to teach and Ron is drunk on his own fame and fortune. Hermione gets a sudden surprise when Draco Malfoy shows up in her bathroom asking for help. Hermione once again is unwillingly thrown into turmoil and adventure but this time she is fighting for the redemption of Draco's soul.
1. Chapter 1

**Hermione thumbed the cover of a tattered yellow book. It had a thick layer of dust on it that covered up any words that may have been inscribed on it. She coughed as she blew away the dust but no words were written not even on the back. She placed the book in the cart next to her and made a mental note to figure out how it got in her book store. She had read every single book that sat on the shelves of her store and knew she had never seen that yellow one before.**

 **After the war, Hermione had decided that she needed a change in life. No more adventures but the ones that were written down, no more grief, pain and most importantly, no more death. She had lost more than most people realized being muggle-born and best friends with Harry Potter. She had lost some of her sanity trying to be strong for her friends and family when deep down inside she was breaking. A small part of her had almost believed that good wasn't going to be enough against the pressing evil that littered the streets of the magical world like a swarm of locust. She had prepared herself for the worst, but never let anyone know.**

 **She trekked back to the front of the store with a cart of some books she had been planning on rereading. Her favorites were the romance novels. Hermione had never been in a real relationship nor had she ever really tried. It was hard these days to trust men who seemed to be only after her fame or money. Inside, she yearned to find that release when she could trust again and open herself up, mind and body to someone. Ron had taken a different route in life than she had hoped. He became promiscuous, trying to get with every woman that laid eyes on him. Hermione thought he was still suffering from some sort of "second best" complex but it didn't affect her anymore. She could do better than him. She wanted a deep, sensual love that made her body rush with adrenaline and her heart ache for more. She wanted someone to make her feel intelligent, strong and beautiful. Ron couldn't give that to her.**

 **Before she could figure out which book to read first, the clock on her mantel struck loudly disrupting her thoughts.** _ **4:00, time to close up.**_ **The door of the shop opened and a tall slender red-headed girl came in.**

" **Happy Hour now!" she said smiling devilishly at Hermione.**

 **Hermione turned to her friend and laughed. "Okay Gin, just give me a second to close things up." She made sure the money in the cash register, though small in amount, was secure in the cash box. She closed the blinds on the window and followed Ginny Weasley out the door.**

 **Diagon Alley was busy this time of the day. It was the beginning of October and the weather was breezy and warm. The bright red and yellow on the leaves added to the warmth of the town while everyone bustled around hurriedly trying to send a large package or admiring the new brooms in the Quidditch Shop.**

 **This was Hermione's favorite time of the year. She loved the smell of pumpkins and candy apples. But most of all she loved Halloween. Although the wizarding world celebrated it much differently from muggles, she loved this holiday and all the eerie stories that came with it. Every year for Halloween she decorated her flat with skeletons and pumpkins, read horror stories about witches -the kind with green skin and warts, will sipping warm pumpkin juice. At the beginning of the night she dressed up in a costume to go out to a bar with her friends. Last year, Ginny had made her be mouse so that she could be a slutty cat and it would seem justified. Luna dressed up as a Demeter and scared half the pub as soon as she walked in.**

 **Ginny lead Hermione down the road and made a right onto a back street.**

 **"Where are we going? And where's Luna?" Hermione asked noticing they weren't going to their usual place** _ **The Stuffy Lizard**_ **.**

 **"This new place a girl from work told me about. It's supposed to be really upscale and a lot of rich single men or married men looking for an affair. And Luna had some stuff to do with the Quibbler tonight. Something about a mutated Unicorn with three heads instead of one."**

 **Hermione frowned. She knew Ginny and Harry were in a rough patch. After the war, Ginny had been hoping that Harry would come back to her but he didn't. Instead he devoted himself to teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. They saw him during the holidays and every so often when they felt like checking in, but that was it. Hermione knew that sooner or later Harry would come around for Gin but until then, she was going through some sort of unhealthy crisis.**

 **A few blocks later they entered through a small red door just barely visible through the dark stone walls. There was no sign on the door or a bouncer. When they walked in Hermione's mouth dropped. The floor and ceiling was pure glass making it seem like they were floating in air. The tables were granite tops and candles flew around slowing casting a deep warm glow over the tables. She could see a decent amount of guys in suites sitting around the bar and a fair amount of women trying to catch their eye.**

 **"Gin, I don't think this is our kind of place,"**

 **"It's perfect, come on you need a drink!" Ginny ushered her to the closest bar and ordered two Crazy Eights, a mix of fire whiskey and pumpkin juice a drink that was popular around the fall season. She took a big sip, and looked around the bar examining the potential before leaving Hermione alone to go fix her makeup in the bathroom. Hermione took a sip and made a sour face. She hated fire whiskey.**

 **Two guys walked up to her as she was about to turn and follow Ginny, not wanting to be alone. One had dark black hair and dark brown eyes. His skin was tan and glowing. He reminded her of Aladdin from her muggle fairytales as a child. The other was tall with brown curly hair. He had brown eyes and a large chest.**

 **"Hermione is that you?" The darker man said.**

 **Hermione studied the man until realization hit her. "Blaise?"**

 **He smiled and reached in to give her a hug. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in like two years."**

 **"Great, I finally got my own bookstore so life's been pretty peaceful. What about you, how's Astoria?"**

 **"Oh we broke up ages ago. I'm not into the gold digging type anymore. By the way this is my friend Kieran, he works at the firm with me. Kieran this is Hermione we went to school together."**

 **Hermione shook his hand politely. He was incredibly handsome but seemed uninterested in the conversation. She turned to Blaise whom she also realized was attractive in his own right and something in the pit of her stomach burned. Before the end of the war, Blaise had saved Hermione's life. He had always remained neutral, but in that moment he made the decision to get as far away from Voldemort as possible. Since then, they had become acquaintances until about two years ago when he went corporate.**

 **There was something about him now that seemed different and unfamiliar but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind not wanting to over analyze the situation.**

 **"Hermione who are you talking to?" Ginny asked walking up beside her.**

 **"Blaise," she said smiling.**

 **"And who is his friend?" Ginny asked seductively. Hermione blushed at her forwardness but Kieran seemed to enjoy it. He winked at her and held out his hand.**

 **"Kieran, and may I say I have a special place in my heart for redheads." He said kissing her hand.**

 _ **More like special place in his pants**_ **, Hermione thought.**

 **"May I buy you another drink?" He asked Ginny.**

 **Ginny giggled and took his hand leading him to the other side of the bar. Hermione looked after her friend and frowned.** _ **How the hell did she do that?**_ **It would take Hermione hours to even get a guy to say hi to her.**

 **She looked at Blaise who was looking at her favorably. "Can I buy you a drink?"**

 **Hermione nodded her head and thankfully put her disgusting drink down.**

 **"Not a fan of fire whiskey?" He asked playfully.**

 **"Definitely not. I don't know why Ginny got it for me when she knows I can't drink that stuff."**

 **"Here let me get you one of my personal favorites. It's a bit of a secret though so don't ask me what's in it."**

 **Hermione frowned. "Is this the part where you try to drug me and take me home with you?"**

 **Blaise stared at her and tried to decide whether or not she was joking. When he saw the hint of a smile on her face he laughed and ordered their drinks.**

 **"I'm not going to drug you, trust me I'm a gentleman. Besides, I've pretty sure I don't need drugs to get a woman I want."**

 **Hermione looked at him and felt heat rise up in her chest. His was tall and broad and had rosy pouty lips that any girl would be envious of. She took a quick peek at his back side when he went to reach for the drinks and groaned inwardly. He was perfect and Hermione found herself** _ **wanting**_ **him to take advantage of her. Aladdin had always been her favorite prince.**

 **She took a sip of the drink he handed her and strawberry and Kiwi and something unfamiliar hit her taste buds.**

 **"Mhmm, this is great what is it?"**

 **"What did I just say? It's a secret." Blaise said.**

 **"Well it's really fruity, not really a man kind of drink." Hermione said trying to get a rise out him.**

 **"I don't care; no one should be forced to chug down something that tastes like rubbing alcohol and Skele-growth for the sake of manliness." He smirked down at her. "And besides, I don't believe you think I'm not manly."**

 **Hermione took a sharp inhale of breath when he came closer to her. He smelled like musk with a hint of spearmint which was intoxicating.**

 **"So Blaise, tell me what else has been new in your life," she said quickly.**

 **Hours and dozens of drinks seemed to pass before Hermione realized that she hadn't seen Ginny in a while. Her and Blaise had moved to one of the comfortable couches and ordered round after round of whatever his secret concoction was.**

 **"I saw her leave with Kieran." Blaise said nonchalantly.**

 **"Oh, well I guess she didn't feel the need to say bye."**

 **Blaise downed the last of his glass and looked at his watch. "It's getting late, want to get out of here?"**

 **Hermione looked at him nervously. Her vision was a bit blurry but she found that she was having a great time with him. He had opened a few buttons on his shirt and tousled his hair around making him look like he had just gotten out of a heated snog session. She never had a one night stand before but it didn't seem like a bad idea. Or she could have been overthinking the whole situation and maybe Blaise wasn't exactly inviting her to snog him but actually just wanted to leave. Damn, she needed to get her head straight.**

 **"Sure".**

 **They got up and Blaise left a hefty tip on the table before leading her out the bar. The sun had gone down long ago and the ally was barely lit. She stumbled on the cobblestone beneath her feet and clung unto Blaise. She was drunker than she realized and her head started to pound.** _ **Shit**_

 **"Woah there Hermione, you okay?"**

 **"Yeah, just alibble dit dibby" she said and then snorted at herself.**

 **Blaise laughed. "Come on let me take you home. Where do you live?"**

 **Hermione smiled saying "573 Bloom Street. Are you going to stay the the the..."and passed out.**

 **Sunlight hit Hermione's face like a bolt of lightning. She grumbled and flipped over. Her head felt like she had gotten hit by a bludger. She tried to recall the events of the night prior and jumped up when she realized what happened.** _ **Blaise**_ **. She had seen Blaise and gotten drunk with him. He must have dropped her off and left.**

 **Hermione sank back into her pillows. She hadn't wanted to get that wasted for the sole reason of wanting to spend the night with him.**

 **"Dammit Hermione" she said out loud. Why was she acting like a dog in heat. It hadn't been that long since she had gotten any physical attention, three years at the most.**

 _ **Ugh, it's been forever**_ **. She thought about calling Ron to come over for the night. She was positive he wouldn't pass up an opportunity for a quick lay without any attachment but what was it about Blaise that made her want him so bad?**

 **She looked at the clock and sighed. The best part about owning your own store was that it didn't matter if you were late.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione smiled as customers walked into her shop. "Hello, welcome to _Granger's Books_ are you looking for anything special today?"

The few people that walked in shook their heads and began browsing the shelves. The store was pretty big and before she knew it, Hermione was left alone again in the front of the store. She looked through the cart she had put aside the other day and picked up the mysterious yellow book. She flipped through the pages and saw that they were filled with some form of hieroglyphics. She relished the idea of being presented with a new challenge since romance didn't seem to be presenting itself anytime soon.

Suddenly an image of Blaise popped into her head. She imagined what it would feel like if he embraced her and brought her lips to his. She imagined his hands running up her skirt. A slight breeze grazed her legs and she opened her eyes in shock. The door was closed and none of the customers were around. She felt a presence in front of her and looked down to see her skirt ruffling up as if some invisible person were actually touching her.

She tried to pucker up a scream but nothing came out. Her body submitted to the grazes. She felt the presence wrap its fingers around her throat and kiss her neck. Its grip was tight but she didn't care, it felt too good. She let out a small moan and leaned her body into whatever was freely groping her.

"Hermione,"

She froze. She was still the only one in the front of the store. The presence in front of her had vanished leaving her with a sinking knot in her chest, and heat in her bosom. _What the fuck was that?_

"Hermione? I'm ready." This time the voice came from a lady behind the counter. She laid a book on the table and looked up expectantly.

"Right sorry, 10 Knuts please."

The woman handed her the money and left quickly. Hermione looked around the shop as if someone was going to pop out from a concealment charm. She felt chills run up her spine at the thought of someone touching her the way they had and running off. Something inside her wanted to call the Auror's but she decided she must have still been a bit tipsy from last night. _Nothing to worry about._

The sun was setting and Hermione hadn't had another customer since the afternoon. She flipped through the pages of "Love and Passion" one of her romance novels by Bertha Batwinkle hurriedly trying to find her favorite part. She stopped suddenly and when she recognized the familiar pattern of words.

 _Candle light filled the air casting a glow over Rover's bare chest. Carla felt herself go stiff, unsure of whether or not she should touch him or admire him from afar._

 _"Aren't you_ _going to lay down with me Carla?" he whispered softly, need evident in his tone._

 _She felt her hands clam up and her body ache. Rover was the type of guy to get anything he wanted and though she tried to fight him she had to give in. Her need was as great as his was, maybe even more._

 _She crawled gingerly into bed meeting his open arms half way. Rover wrapped his large, toned arms around her waist and pulled her on top of him. He loved the way her body felt on his. She was unlike any other girl he had ever known. She was spunky and feisty and always willing to challenge him. He loved that she didn't back down easily nor did she ever give in to easily. He worked hard to get her to trust to him so that she would let him show her how he truly felt._

 _Rover looked Carla in the eye before covering her mouth with his. He hungrily grabbed anywhere he could reach to get closer to her but it wasn't enough. He sat her up so he could tear off her shirt. He was glad to see the flush the spread over her creamy skin and even happier when she didn't protest to him unclipping her bra. He flipped her over unto her back and began kissing her neck and chest down to her naval._

 _"Carla," he whispered. "You're so beautiful. I've dreamed of doing this for a long time now."_

 _Carla burned at his words. She arched her back into his body begging him to go further. She could feel a thick bulk near her abdomen and screamed inside. Rover was perfect, he was everything she had every wanted. He began slipping off her red silk panties, eyes hungry and dark before…_

"HERMIONE OH MY GOD YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO ME!"

Hermione stopped reading and looked up to find Ginny and Luna standing in front of her. They had become good friends with Luna who married Neville after the war. She was still as airy as ever but they welcomed her pleasantness.

"What happened Ginny? Where did you end up going last night that you couldn't say bye to me?" Hermione asked.

"Well first after I left the bar with Kieran, he took me to his flat in London. Oh my god Hermione the place is huge! He is beyond rich and he's French. Anyways, I spent the night and he made me breakfast in the morning- _Croissant, miel, fraises."_

"You speak French now I guess..."

"Not even the best part of it. He wants to take me on a vacation to his private island for three days!"

Hermione watched Ginny jump up and down and Luna watch with humor in eyes.

"Gin, are you sure that's safe? I mean how much do you know about this guy?"

"Oh come on Hermione, don't ruin this for me? You know how hard it's been on me since that bloody prat left to teach at Hogwarts. Besides, he's friends with Blaise, he can't be that bad."

That was what Hermione was afraid of. Ginny was vulnerable and would toss her knickers off for any man that made himself available. Hermione looked at Luna asking for help.

"I mean, she does have a point Hermione," Luna said. "He is friends with Blaise."

Hermione frowned. _Some help Luna_. "When do you leave?"

"The day after tomorrow! " Ginny said happy Hermione didn't question Kieran's motives anymore. "Which reminds me I'm going to have to borrow some clothes from you."

"Yeah, alright." Hermione said.

"You would like him Hermione. He's really smart and really good in bed!"

At the mention of sex Hermione's mind went into overdrive. She had forgotten about the _incident_ that happened earlier. She wasn't sure if she was ready to tell them yet. They would probably go straight to the Auror's or worst Harry and it would be a whole embarrassing episode. She could hear his voice now- _"So you want me to investigate an invisible force feeling up your skirt? Right you've been hanging out with Gin too much…"_

She decided to keep her mouth shut. There was a good chance whatever happened was a figment of her imagination or result of her lack of physical companionship in the last three years.

"So what's going on with you and Blaise?" Luna asked. "Ginny said you guys were together the whole night before she left."

Ginny smirked and Hermione said, "Nothing. I uh, passed out and he took me home and left." Hermione blushed under their gazes knowing they weren't going to let that one go.

"Passed out? Since when do you get obliterated and pass out?" Ginny asked.

"I didn't realize what I was doing. I was having such a good time talking to him I lost track. Can we just let it go?"

"No. Me and Luna are going to go to her cousins hair salon so I can get my hair done. Want to come and finish that story?" Ginny said.

"No thanks, I'm going to go home to get some sleep. I was a mess today."

After Hermione locked up the store she left Ginny and Luna and apparated to her flat. Although Hermione had a decent amount of money from being a war heroine and nurse for a few years, she liked to live a quant life. She wasn't like Ron who relished in money and that was one of the reasons she was glad he was out of her life romantically.

Her flat had a bedroom, a guest room, kitchen, bath and living room and that was all she needed to live a comfortable life. She integrated her muggle life with her magical one as best as she could but there were some things only a wand could fix.

She walked into her home and slumped down onto the couch in exhaustion. The alcohol had really taken a toll on her body and she swore to herself that she was going to drink in moderation from now on. She walked to the bathroom to start the bath. A good soak in bath salt and bubbles would definitely calm her down.

She undressed and wrapped her robe around her body. Walking past the mirror something on her neck caught her eye. There was a large bruise that was turning blue rather quickly and stung when she touched it. Hermione tried to recall where it could have came from and a sinking feeling hit her stomach when she remembered the presence in the bookstore.

She tried to say a spell to get rid of the bruise but nothing happened. It was a powerful spell and worked on all the toughest cases back in St. Mungos. Hermione anxiously tried every spell she knew but it was futile. In fact, it looked like the bruise was getting bigger, something only dark magic would be able to do.

 _"Hermione, help me"_

She froze when she heard a voice at the back of her nape. The mirrors began to fog but she felt a chill hit her bare skin.

"Whose there? Show yourself!" She yelled raising her wand.

Mist started to appear in front of her, sweeping over her and into the tub. She heard a sudden splash and the shadow of large body appeared behind the curtain. She was about to shout out a stunning spell when the figure called out to her.

"Wait stop! Please" He slowly moved the curtain away. A tall lean man stood before her, soaking wet. He wore a white shirt down to his calves that was ripped in various places, pants that were also ripped and chains around his wrist. His hair was blonde and unruly and his eyes were silver like lightening. There was something familiar about him but she didn't know what. Then it suddenly hit her.

"Draco!?" Hermione yelled her voice stronger than she expected.

"Let me explain. Will you put the bloody wand down; I'm not going to hurt you."

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Didn't you die in the war?"

"Where are you manners? Can I come out the tub first, maybe get a drink first?" he asked smirking.

"No."

He sighed and smiled. "Okay never mind. Look I don't have much time but I've following you for quite some time trying to figure out a way to talk to you."

"Following me? I could have you arrested you know!"

He smirked again and it irritated the hell out of Hermione. "I doubt that" He said.

Hermione watched him itch at the chains on his wrists. His body was muscular but he wasn't a giant, yet there was something about him that didn't seem human. His eyes were to electric and his skin too perfect. His movements also seemed to be too fast but she wasn't sure if it was just a trick of the light. Damn she kept meaning to fix that last light bulb.

"What are you? What happened to you?" she asked.

He's body cringed at this question but he composed himself almost immediately.

"That's not important. What is important is that we are both in danger. Can I please come out of the tub and dry off?"

Hermione nodded her head slowly and threw him a towel. He was out of the tub in one quick swift movement and Hermione jumped at the vastness of his body over hers. He was incredibly handsome but she didn't let her guard down.

He looked at the towel and raised his eyebrows- "Aren't you a witch?"

She muttered a quick drying spell for the both of them and left the bathroom motioning for him to follow her. She wondered if she should send out a patronus to Harry or Ron, surely this wasn't something to be taken lightly and she was absolutely positive that if they found out she didn't tell them about any of this, they would kill her.

He walked over to her couch and sat down as if it were his own home. He looked around spotting a picture of Hermione, Ron and Harry on the stand and frowned. Hermione watched him eye the picture warily but was careful to not let him notice her gaze.

She cleared her throat, "So mind telling me what's going on?"

He broke his gaze away from the picture and laughed. "I don't have much time to explain it all. I expect I'll have to be back soon."

"Back where?"

He looked at her and smirked while pointing his finger towards the floor.

"I'm not sure I follow…let's start with what happened to you after the battle," She said.

"My soul was snatched. My mother has my body preserved she refuses to let me go. She's the only one I've been able to contact besides you. "

Hermione looked curiously at him but stiffened. "Well serves you right for all the evil you've put everyone through".

He continued quickly. "You're very popular where I came from, almost a novelty." He said with a look of disgust on his face. "But I've been practicing materializing, so I could talk to you too."

"And why did you want to talk me? I don't give a flying hippogriff what happens to you Draco. You put me through hell, got Dumbledore murdered; you're a low life death eater turned coward in the end."

He stared at her for a while his face stuck between torment and what Hermione thought looked mysteriously like desire. She suddenly became aware that she was wearing nothing but a short silk bath robe and blushed scarlet.

He pretended not to notice and said, "Despite the harsh though somewhat valid accusations against me, I have been fighting my way back to the good side for three and a half years now. Evil is rebelling Hermione. Something far worse than the Dark Lord is coming. The souls of the old death eaters were taken to rally. Voldemort left behind this… I don't know, dark void. It's conscious though, it talks but it's confined. It's like a mass of pent up anger and emotion and turmoil that stayed with him his whole life. "

Hermione felt the hairs on her skin rise and felt a chill on her legs as he got up and raced towards her and in an instant was inches away from her. She felt the breath catch in throat when his lightening eyes caught hers.

"That's why I need you. We don't have much time to stop them." He whispered, raising his hands to her face. Before his fingers could graze her skin a white mist surrounded them. He looked at her regretfully.

"Be on your guard. I'll find you again," he said before disappearing completely.

Hermione fell to the floor in a heap of confusion. She was tired, she hadn't a clue what was going on. She remembered how Narcissa had helped Harry and eventually the whole wizarding world by lying to Voldemort. She remembered seeing Lucius clinging to her in the wreckage of Harry and Voldemort's duel, searching for Draco. She remembered Ron covering her body and eyes, shielding her when everything exploded, and then it was over. People were cheering, people were running, people were crying but all Hermione could think was that it was over. She didn't stop to consider what would happen to the fleeing death eaters. No she just wanted to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione woke up the next morning not knowing if seeing Draco was a dream or not. She tossed over and to her surprise there he was again laying down watching her sleep.

"Merlin's beard! What are you doing in my bed!?" She screamed.

"I didn't think it'd be polite to wake you," he said simply.

"Oh, and watching me sleep is so much more courteous." She scrambled up and taking the blankets with her to cover her body before jumping in her closet to change. She had been sleeping in nothing but a short t-shirt and underwear.

"You can't keep barging in on me like this Malfoy. I can't help you with whatever cosmic mess you've landed yourself in and more importantly- I don't want to! Go away!" She came out the closet haughtily wearing a pullover and yoga pants.

It was Saturday morning and normally she tried to go for a run but it always ended up being a slow walk through town. She went to the kitchen to fix herself a shake, hoping that he would take her words seriously and leave.

But he didn't.

"Hermione I'm not going anywhere. The only reason I can even do this is because my mother is keeping my body alive which means I still have a chance to come back to where I belong". He went into the kitchen and sat on the counter next to her.

"I am not the same boy I was in school. The war changed both of us. I want a chance to have a life just like everyone else," he finished sternly.

She looked at him fully. Other than being a spirit she could still see traces of his old self in his eyes. But there wasn't malice and hatred. Just determination and fear.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. But I don't trust you Malfoy. I'm going to go to the Order and tell them-"

"The Order isn't going to be able to help right now. I need more information. Info I can only get from books…"

She looked at him confused. "So you came to me to ask me to do your homework for you !?"

"No! Well sort of. I don't exactly know what happened to me do I? And there's no libraries where I was sent to so clearly I need someone here to research what the hell is going on with me and how I get out of it. You're the only person I could think of with expertise in research. My mother will buy you any book you need so money is not an issue," he finished smoothly.

"Why should I help you?"

"Look all I need you to do is just to start researching lost souls. And tell me what you find. That's it. I'll take it from there. Easy right?" he pleaded.

She looked at him sternly. "Again why should I help you Malfoy?"

He looked at her seriously. "Go ask Potter."

With that, he disappeared again though it seemed like it was on his own accord this time.

Hermione downed her shake in one gulp and thought about what he said. If he was telling the truth, trouble could be coming. If he was just pulling her leg to get out of some eternal punishment, then she be damned if she'd be the one to let him free. She decided a trip to Hogwarts was going to be necessary, she just didn't know if she should tell Ginny.

She went back to her bookstore to use the floo network there. She didn't have one at home because she valued her privacy but work was another story. She practically begged people to come in there no matter how. She was careful not to let Ginny know too much about why she was contacting Harry. She would be leaving with Kieron soon so she didn't seem too concerned.

She got to her shop and noticed that no one seemed to even realize it was there. They walked past it chatting merrily. She sighed but went in and locked the door behind her. She went to the fire place, grabbed a handful of floo powder and yelled "Hogwarts". In a _poof_ she was gone.

Hermione walked slowly down the halls admiring the place she had once lived and called home. Most of it had been rebuilt after the war but she still saw traces of it's old splendor. Her hands grazed the cold stone and it sent chills throughout her body.

She remembered her first time entering the castle. Young, curious and ready to do just about anything to be a powerful witch. The only thing she didn't know how to do was fit in. She remembered her first heartbreak, seeing Michael Corner with Ginny, but then again everyone wanted Ginny. Ron didn't even notice she was a girl until their fourth year and she spent the most time with him and Harry.

All the professors loved her, except for maybe Snape and she valued her relationships with all of them. McGonagall still wrote to her occasionally asking her to stop by Hogwarts every so often.

All the late nights in the library or visiting Hagrid suddenly came rushing back to her and she had to hold back tears. Those days were so far away, a different lifetime but she would do anything to have it all back. Without the threat of death on her shoulders.

She came to Harry's office and knocked lightly. It had only been a few months since she had last seen him but it still seemed ages. He opened the door slightly and frowned.

"Hermione what are you doing here? Is everything okay? Is it Ginny? He asked fearfully. She took a moment to look at him and noticed he seemed on edge. His hair was scrappy and his skin looked gaunt.

"Harry what's going on? I know you're not giving your students homework because you hate grading so why do you look like you haven't slept in ages?" she asked forgetting his questions.

He ushered her in and conjured up some tea for them. She sat down in a cushy chair by the fire and waited for him to get settled. This wasn't the little boy she had met her first year that everyone was so obsessed over. No this was a man that had been through way too much and didn't know how to move on and have a normal life. It was part of the reason she suspected he stayed to teach- he couldn't give up the only place he once called home.

"It's just been a heck of month Hermione that's all. Ministry's been up my arse about public speakings and what not. Now tell me what made you come see me without a warning or anything?" he asked trying to get the attention off of him. They had all been scarred from the war and dealing with their own personal issues was the last thing anyone wanted to do.

Hermione took a sip of her tea suddenly unsure of herself. All of a sudden it seemed silly to ask Harry about Malfoy when he was going through his own shit. She looked around his office and saw newspaper clippings scattered around his desk. She tried to look more closely at one and only managed to make out a figuring of a tall moving man casting a hex before he cleared his throat.

She snapped out of it. "Oh right. Well um. Ginny is fine. Well as fine as can be considering. Going on vacation soon," she said slowly.

"Good to hear," he said without a hint of emotion but Hermione could tell he looked visibly more relaxed.

"I know this may seem odd Harry, but I wanted to ask you about Draco Malfoy."

Harry stared at Hermione uncomfortably. This was the last thing he had been expected.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.

"Somethings come up and I wondered if you knew what happened to him?" She figured that was the best place to start.

"No I can't say that I do. But I hope its someplace safe," he added lightly.

That answer didn't quite register with her. Why would Harry want Malfoy safe?

"Are you just saying that because his mum saved your life?" she pressed on.

Harry sighed and sank further into his chair. "Look, they made me swear not to tell anyone but I think the time for secrets is done. With Dumbledore and Snape gone as well I don't see why it matters to anyone but Draco and Narcissa had switched bodies nearing the end of the war".

Hermione spit out her tea. "What? Switched bodies? How? Why?"

Harry looked at her curiously. "Polyjuice potion duh. Draco didn't want to do the things the Dark Lord was asking him and Narcissa wanted to save her son from death. They, along with Snape and Dumbledore made a strong batch, Snape added some ingredient to make it more effective and last longer, but Narcissa pretended to be Draco and Draco was Narcissa, right up until Voldemort died…"

It took a few moments before Hermione realized what he was saying. "So… it was actually Draco that saved your life, Harry! That lied to Voldemort that night in the forbidden forest. "

Harry nodded slowly.

"But how did you find out they were using polyjuice?" She asked persistently.

"I saw it in the pensive. From the memories Snape gave me. They started switching when Draco was ordered to kill Dumbledore. Draco didn't want to switch at first but Narcissa wouldn't take no for an answer. She reasoned that he needed to be able to think for himself and come up with a plan and he couldn't do that having to be in school too. So while she was at school taking his classes and stuff, he was behind the scenes, relatively unbothered, coming up with a plan. But the plan wasn't to kill Dumbledore; it was how to betray Voldemort. I don't think he ever truly finished a plan- just found an opportune moment. "

They sat in silence for a while. Everything she thought she knew about the Malfoys at the end of the war had been wrong. They were fighting in secret. And now apparently Draco was in trouble.

"Harry something's happened with the Malfoys. I don't know how to explain it but I think he needs help," she said decidedly.


	4. Chapter 4

They paced the library for hours reading everything they could on souls and stealing them. Since they were no longer students they were free to roam the restricted section without fear. Unfortunately, most of the books were rather too dangerous, complicated or just down right impossible to open. They wouldn't be much help without knowing exactly what they were looking for.

"Okay, tell me again Hermione, what happened?" Harry asked for the thousand time.

Hermione sighed. She was beginning to get a headache. "Draco came into my bathtub and told me that Voldemort or this black void thing had stolen the souls of some of the death eaters and taken them somewhere… I don't know Draco just pointed down. He said it wasn't really Voldemort but like a dark mass of his emotions and anger. It was conscious but confined somehow. It was planning something though. That's all he said before he disappeared."

Harry frowned. "You said something about his mother preserving his body though right?"

"Yeah, and that was the reason he could come up here and talk to me. But he seemed afraid that he didn't know how much longer he had."

Harry snapped a book he had been looking at shut and stood up. "Well that's then isn't it. We need to go talk to Narcissa".

Hermione bit her lip nervously. This was all becoming too much. "Harry doesn't something feel off about all this. I mean really. Draco turns up two years after the war asking me of all people for help and-"

"And what Hermione? They saved my life, all our lives. I may have hated him in school, but if what he said is true, he doesn't deserve that," Harry finished defiantly.

"Harry, I just think for once, we shouldn't put our noses in something that isn't our business."

The way Harry was looking at her truly scared her. It was like he was waiting for something like this to happen or worse- like he welcomed it. He had spent much of his life going on dangerous adventures, and being in the face of death that Hermione was sure he didn't know how to live without it. Like he wasn't Harry Potter unless he was fighting something or someone.

Her suspicions were almost confirmed when Harry told her that he was going to send a patronus to Ron to come to the castle.

"Ron doesn't need to be involved in all this! He would never even think to help the Malfoys," she said.

"Hermione, we are going to need him if we are going to fight whatever it is coming."

"No one said anything about fighting, Harry. Draco just asked me to research ways to get him out of whatever it is he is going through."

She could feel Harry becoming more frustrated with her and decided not to push.

"Look," she started slowly, "how about you and I go to Malfoy Manor and talk to Narcissa on our own. To see what's really going on. If something else happens we can tell Ron, but for now, let's just make sure this isn't some sort of a game," Her tone was final but gentle.

Harry agreed with her, knowing that he shouldn't push her either.

"I'll send her an owl to see when we can come. You look like you need some rest. There's plenty of room here if you want to stay the night," he offered.

Hermione smiled but declined. "I need to get home and change. Besides, it's weird being back here. I don't know how you do it."

Harry walked her back to his office in silence. How many times have they walked these halls together worried about homework, Quidditch, girls? Not nearly as much as they walked around worried about being murdered. It was a shame that they never truly got to be students, carefree and just plain kids.

"Harry make sure you get some dinner okay. And try not to stress about this until there's a _legitimate_ reason to stress," she said.

Harry rolled his eyes in reply.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and hug before grabbing floo powder and heading to the fireplace. The last thing she saw before the flames whipped her away was Harry pouring over that newspaper clipping she saw earlier that day.

Hermione fumbled with her keys when she got back to her flat. Her meeting with Harry hadn't exactly left her feelings as eased as she thought it would. If anything she felt worse. She was quickly becoming a part of something that she simply wanted nothing to do with. When she finally got into her apartment she stepped in but her foot caught something stiff and she plummeted to the ground.

"What in the world! _Lumos_!"

She gasped at what she saw. Her entire apartment looked like it had been trashed by a band of wild Cornish Pixies. She flipped all her lights on and looked around checking to see if anything was stolen.

"Wow, looks like you've been having a good time," came a voice behind her.

Hermione spun around but was not surprised to see Draco there, looking around with interest.

"Did you see who did this?" she asked.

"No I only just came up when you got here. Are you hurt?" he said seriously.

Hermione noted the tone of worry in is voice. "No I was at Hogwarts, talking with Harry all day. What could someone possibly want in here?" she said a quick spell to repair everything and clean her apartment. She started looking around to se if anything was missing.

Draco felt a little awkward just standing there so he made himself busy in the kitchen, preparing her a cup of tea. He was mastering his corporeal form but didn't know how long it would last. Just when he thought he had the hang of it, the cup slipped through his hand and crashed all over the floor.

 _Shit_.

Hermione walked in casually, said a spell disintegrating the broken pieces of the mug while taking out another mug from the cupboard.

"I always hated that mug. Ron gave it to me for our six month anniversary. It said _Book Worm_ on it," she said.

"I don't get it," Draco replied.

"Yeah me either."

She filled her cup with tea and went back to the couch and turned the tv on. An episode of _I love Lucy_ was playing. She smiled a bit and sank further into the couch. Draco looked at her like she was a crazy person. Her apartment had pretty much been ransacked and she was acting like it was an ordinary Sunday evening.

He felt a pull inside his stomach but fought it. He wasn't ready to go back and he found that he was able to stay up in the real world a little bit longer every time. But when he did return his energy was drained and he was afraid he was getting weaker.

"Hermione," he whispered.

She put a finger to her lips and motioned for him to sit down. He watched the black and white images on the screen interestedly. Two women wearing ridiculous looking caps were standing in a workshop looking place eating a bunch of chocolate moving on a conveyor belt.

He heard Hermione giggle and thought it was the cutest thing he's heard in a long time. It even relaxed him and for a second he felt like he could just exist without any worry.

Hermione could feel Draco make himself comfortable and for some reason she didn't mind him next to her. It would seem almost natural if it wasn't for that fact that he was pretty much a ghost. _I Love Lucy_ was her favorite show to watch when she was stressed out. It was nice watching someone else's crazy life.

"Harry sent an owl to your mother so we can meet and talk," she finally said simply.

Draco nodded in gratitude. "That woman has the most annoying voice I've ever heard."

Hermione started laughing uncontrollably. He didn't know what he said that was so funny but he enjoyed the sight of her none the less.

"You should hear her husband Ricky. He's not much better." She said tears running down her cheek.

"Why do you watch this?" he asked.

"It's funny and simple. Not something I get in everyday life apparently." She looked at him when she said this.

"Sorry," he shrugged.

He didn't know how long they stayed there in silence watch episode after episode of this show, but Draco began to hear deep breathing coming from Hermione. He snuck a peak at her curled up and saw that she had fallen asleep. He looked around and found a blanket neatly folded in a basket. He summoned some energy to pick it up and drape it over her.

She moaned and snuggled deeper in the couch. Draco was mesmerized by her rosy cheeks and helpless state. It seemed like forever ago he was among the living but now there was nothing around him but shadow, cold and death. He hated it and was slowly losing his mind. Hermione was possibly his last hope for a fresh start. He took one last look at her before dissolving into nothingness.

He looked around and found the familiar rock and stone that he had grown accustomed too in the last two years. He felt sure he wasn't exactly in hell but more like a purgatory in which Voldemort had taken over.

The chains on his wrists were more symbolical then they were inhibiting. He turned a corner thinking about Hermione and couldn't help but smile as he wandered around aimlessly. Everyone else must be with the _thing_. He hated how much they worshipped it and wanted to do whatever it told him. No one even knew what it was but just felt its power and they were sold. Much like Voldemort himself, all it wanted to do was purge the world of magicless beings.

His mind again drifted to Hermione and he slapped himself mentally for it. She hadn't completely agreed to help him but she was going to speak to his mother and that was a start. He could never hope that she would see him in a new light but that was okay. Once he was free and that thing was destroyed he would make sure his mother was safe and happy before leaving England and finding a place to start over where no one knew him. The dream was to live in a small cozy home unlike the large cold mansion he grew up in. He could experiment with potions and make all sorts of new discoveries and just relax- possible start a family of his own one day.

His daydream was short lived when he arrived to a room filled with his fellow death eaters. They were talking in low whispers not really paying him any attention. No one knew he was able to go back and forth between worlds. He usually kept to himself and rarely made moves to talk to anyone else.

He felt a hand firmly grasp his shoulder and turn to find a familiar ghostly figure.

"Back from your musings?" he asked lightly.

Draco tried to smile but it may have come off more like a grimace. "Yea, lots to think about."

"He's getting restless. I don't know how much longer til we start making moves."

Draco looked at him sternly. "Do you know what he's planning to do?"

"Yeah. But I can't say just yet. Just get your wits together Draco and stay in the loop. I don't want to see you get the wrong end of the deal here…"

Draco frowned and looked his old friend in the eyes. They were both stuck in this dark situation and he was the only one that seemed to want to get out of it. He was different now then he was during the war. He seemed distant and off somehow.

"I got your back, you got mine, right Blaise?" Draco asked.

"Right," Blaise said half-heartedly before turning and walking out the room. Draco looked after him confused but didn't question his friend's attitude. He just hoped Hermione would be getting answers for him soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Blaise was beginning to feel guilty more and more every day. He wanted so badly to tell Draco everything the Dark Lord was going to do but he was bound. During the war, he remained neutral because neither side would benefit him in the end. He wasn't necessarily sure why he saved Hermione from a falling piece of stone that nearly crushed her. She had always been innocent and fair and it seemed a shame that the world be rid of her. Or maybe it was instinctual. He was always protective of his mother and seeing Hermione helpless for once triggered some biological need for him to save her. Either way, he was glad he did because in the end… it was going to benefit him.

He was one of the ones closest to the blast, and inevitably taken down along with the Carrows, Macnair, Dolohov, Rookwood and Draco. Lucius had managed to escape for some unknown reason and many of the rest were killed or had fled early enough into the battle.

This new Dark Lord gave Blaise special powers about a year ago to go back and forth into the real world. Blaise would be key in going through with the plan and Blaise would have great power like did never had before. Possibly even enough to cure his dying mother.

Narcissa paced back and forth in front the large fire place. She had sent her response back to Harry earlier that morning asking them to meet her at the Manor tomorrow night. She would need about a day to prepare.

Draco's body was becoming increasingly harder to preserve and she feared that they wouldn't have enough time to before it was completely gone. Other than him, she had been alone for a while. Lucius had left a year ago to search the world to find answers and a cure for their son. His guilt had set in for everything he put their family through and now he only wanted to make it right and have his family back.

Six months into his trip, Narcissa had stopped hearing from him and she feared the worst- that he had abandoned them. Her heart was broken and she refused to leave the manor. It was in her despair that she remembered the Granger girl. If she could be the brains behind Harry defeating the Dark Lord, surely she could find a way to save her son. She urged Draco to reach out to her and show her that he had changed and to convince her to help them.

She was relieved when she finally had gotten the owl. It was a sign of hope finally since Lucius had left them.

Harry turned to his class and looked them all in the eye seriously.

"Okay, now listen, when I open this chest, a Boggart will come out and do what?"

A young girl raised her hand quickly into the air.

"Yes, Amora, go," Harry said smiling.

"It will turn into a splitting image of our deepest darkest fear," she answered confidently.

"Excellent," Harry shouted. "5 points to Hufflepuff. Now remember the incantation – _Riddikulus_! Form a line in front. Say it confidently and loud!"

By the end of the class Harry was exhausted. Most of them did well and only one kid fainted. He was started to be known for his lessons sending kids to the hospital wing.

It had been his last lesson for the day. He made his way to the Great Hall for dinner sitting himself between Hagrid and Madam Hooch. A large oven roasted ham appeared in front of him. He licked his lips hungrily realizing that he hadn't eaten much the past few days. He started to stuff his face before turning and talking to Hagrid. They were discussing the next Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin when a blood curdling scream erupted from the Gryffindor table.

McGonagall was first to the scene. The students were quieter than they've ever been trying to see what happened. A young girl was lying on the ground having a fit. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head and her body was shaking.

Hagrid picked her up gently and followed Madam Pomfrey out the doors. Harry tried to help the rest of the teachers calm the students down and send them to their dorms. He had only seen this type of thing once in his life with Katie. He made a mental note to tell Hermione and Narcissa about this tomorrow night. Something was beginning to happen.

He stormed to his office hoping to be able to end an owl early enough to get to Ron tonight. He saw a familiar figure standing waiting outside his office.

"Potter," he said simply.

"Zabini, what are you doing here?" Harry asked. "I thought our meeting was next week?"

He motioned for both of them to go into his office. Conjuring some tea he sat down and waited for Blaise to talk.

"Have you found anything else?" Blaise asked urgently.

Harry unconsciously turned towards his desk of cultured clippings. "I'm close I think. It seems like this man disappeared about three years ago but may be going under a false identity."

Blaise nodded and stood up. "That's what I was afraid of. Will you let me know when you find out his true identity?"

Harry looked up at him curiously but bit his tongue. "Yeah."

Blaise walked briskly out his office leaving Harry to his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione and Harry walked gingerly up to the manor gate. They were both reliving the last time they had been there a few years back. It wasn't a happy occasion by any means and they lost Dobby in the fight. Hermione subconsciously reached for her arm, tracing the words mudblood that was cut into her skin. Bellatrix must have used some special kind of knife, because no amount of ointment or spells would make it fade.

Hermione was about to reconsider their visit when she heard the front door of the manor open and Narcissa come out to greet them.

"Thank you so much for coming," she whispered ushering them inside quickly.

Hermione gasped when she went inside. It was unlike the cold, dark manor she remembered. Narcissa had decorated it with beautiful flowers and paintings. The air was somehow sweeter and more inviting.

"Mrs. Malfoy your home looks…different," Harry said awkwardly.

Narcissa smiled thankfully. "Well a monster no longer lives here. Follow me upstairs. Draco is in his bedroom. I don't know if he will be visiting tonight."

She led them up a grand marble staircase. There were portraits of what Hermione assumed were Malfoy ancestors on the walls in the hallway. They all sneered down on them and stuck their noses in the air.

"Sorry about them," Narcissa said loudly. "I haven't had time to redecorate up here yet."

One of the paintings of a portly man with blonde long hair and a hawk nose looked outraged. "Never have I heard such disrespect from my own family!"

"Oh shove off Tiberius," Narcissa yelled.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. When they got to Draco's room she was surprised to find it covered in green drapes with posters of Quidditch teams everywhere. It was the first time in probably their whole relationship that Hermione realized Draco was just the same as them- a human being.

Narcissa walked over the bedside and placed her hand on Draco's head as if checking his temperature. He looked peaceful and lifeless. There was not so much of a glow to his skin and he seemed to be skinnier than normal.

"His body started changing a few months ago. There's not much I can do to slow it down or stop it. I fear he's running out of time," Narcissa said slowly. "He's the only thing I have left. I won't lose him too. Not like this. Not to that monster again."

Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes and she pushed them back down. Harry had begun slowly circling the bed examining the body.

"What did you use to keep him like this?" he asked.

"A life bonding potion. It keeps a body from dying even after the soul has left it. But it's not permanent."

"Where did you find such a spell? I've never heard anything like it?" Hermione asked curiously.

Narcissa opened the bed side drawer and pulled out a familiar looking text book. She handed it to Hermione who thumbed through it nervously.

"Snape's potions book? But how did you find it? Harry I thought you hid it in the Room of Requirement," she said with accusation in her voice.

Harry held up his hands defensively. "I did, even ask Ginny, she was there. Then it got burned down in the battle."

Narcissa smiled. "I found it well before then dear. Remember I was at Hogwarts for a while. After you cursed me in the bathroom and I heard you got the spell from that book, I went searching it for it. Thought it could help Draco with whatever he was working on."

Harry looked at Hermione not knowing what to say but to his surprise she was looking at Narcissa angrily.

"If you were trying to help our side, why did you fix the vanishing cabinet and let the death eaters in?" She asked.

Narcissa bowed her head sadly. "I feared for our lives sweetheart. Fear will make you act irrationally. If we didn't make it look like we were trying to do our jobs, we would have been dead in moments. I didn't really think the vanishing cabinet would work. And I was even more surprised when Voldemort ordered it to be used a week earlier than he had planned. I'm so sorry.

Now Hermione was speechless. Everyone had a part to play in the war, some good some bad but everyone had something in common. They were all fighting to survive. Hermione had read what some people could resort to in the face of death. You turn into a person you no longer recognize.

Narcissa stroked Draco's hair affectionately and started to hum a faint tune while she adjusted his clothes and hands. Hermione could see the love and pain in the worn out woman's eyes.

Hermione locked eyes with Harry and in that instant they silently agreed to see this through.

"Back to business," Harry called out. "What do you need from us?"

Narcissa gleamed back at them. She threw her arms around Harry embracing him like son and then turned towards Hermione spreading her arms out. Hermione still felt a little uneasy at the new sudden shift in their relationship but she knew it was the right thing to do. The time for prejudice was over.

They moved into the library so they could start their research. The Malfoys had an extensive collection of books from every country.

"We need to start narrowing our research," Hermione said smartly. "In order to save Draco, we need to know more about the thing that trapped him. Harry you start looking up books about magical entities after death. Narcissa you probably know this library the best so maybe you can help Harry navigate through it. Get a handful of books to take back to work with you."

Narcissa nodded her head and showed Harry to the very back of the room.

Hermione grabbed some parchment and a quill and began to make a list of everything they knew about the situation and everything they didn't know. It would be easier for all of them to see it plainly written down in front of them.

What they did know was that a number of death eaters had gotten their souls taken away in a blast. What they didn't know was how. It could have been a spell, or a potion or some sort of curse. Judging by the abnormality of the situation, Hermione reasoned that it was most likely some sort of curse that was awoken once Voldemort had died. Maybe he had placed it while putting their Dark Mark on. She made a mental note to start looking up books about curses and magical marks.

If they could first found out what kind of magic they were dealing with, then they could work to counteract it. Harry came back with about dozen books in his arms.

"I need to get back to the castle but I'll start with these," he said. "Mrs. Malfoy we'll come back sometime next week."

Narcissa thanked Harry. "You don't know what this means to us."

"Harry you go on back to Hogwarts. Mrs. Malfoy if you don't mind I'd like to stay for a bit longer and have a look around," Hermione said.

Narcissa nodded approvingly and walked Harry back downstairs. Hermione got up from the study table and made her way through the bookshelves. She felt like she was back in school studying for end of year exams. The library had been organized by language and country. She started over in Africa looking at beautiful pictures of jungles, tribes, animals and homes. It was truly a bigger world outside of London.

She then found some books from Egypt. There was no doubt that most of these texts probably came straight from the very country they were depicting. A large book with colorful hieroglyphics caught her eyes. It was a dictionary. She suddenly remembered the small yellow back that was in her store. In her free time she could use the dictionary to figure out the mysterious book so she kept it in her arms moving on to Asia.

"Hermione are you in here?" A familiar voice called out.

She peaked out from one of the shelves to find Draco looking for her. He smiled when he saw her.

"Hey," he said simply.

"Hey." She replied.

They stared at each other for a few moments in awkward silence.

"Watcha got there?" He asked gesturing to the book in her arms.

"Oh it's just something on hieroglyphics. Thought I could maybe learn a thing or two."

Draco frowned. "My dad brought that back when he was sent to Egypt. It was before I was born. Him and some of his friends back in school went. I don't really know what for. Probably just to raid tombs and harass people. They were such bastards back in the day."

Hermione smiled in spite of herself. She had never heard anyone talk about a young Lucius Malfoy. He walked towards her and started looking at books from Asia with her. She could smell a funny scent coming from him but she didn't know how that possible.

When their eyes met, an electric spark emitted between them. Hermione's breath caught in the back of her throat and she couldn't take her eyes off the silver piercing ones in front of her. For some reason, he seemed more human than he had the other night. She wanted to reach out and touch him. She felt herself being pulled towards him so that her face was inches from him. Her eyes focused on his mouth and how perfect his lips were. She stopped those thoughts the moment she realized what was happening and backed away.

Clearing her throat she said, "So what are you up tonight?"

Draco laughed lightly. He had felt the spark between them too and had felt more human in that moment that he had in his entire life. He felt cold again when she moved away.

"Oh you know the usual, roaming the streets trying to scare little children. Was even going to try the Shrieking Shack and get the novelty back up," he said.

Hermione couldn't stop herself from laughing. This was a new Draco and he was growing on her little by little.

"Harry went back to Hogwarts. He's going to start researching magical entities. I'm going to focus on curses," she said.

"You can come in here anytime you like. No need to ask," Draco offered.

Suddenly the door busted open violently and Narcissa ran in looked horrified. She was sweating as if she had just run all the way up the stairs.

"Draco come quickly. Lucius is back," she said.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry made a detour to the hospital wing before going to his office. He wanted to check on the student who had some sort of episode the other night. McGonagall had contacted him via patronus to inform him that her condition had not subsided. As Defense against the Dark Arts professor, she wanted him to personally see to it that answers were found and proper security would be in place.

When he arrived Madam Pomfrey greeted him at the door as if expecting him there.

"Poppy, how is she? Do you know what's wrong?" Harry asked urgently.

"Something serious Professor," Poppy said. "The girl's parents will be here in the morning and she must be transported to St. Mungo's. There's nothing more I can do for her here."

Harry walked over to her bedside. She was asleep. The color of her skin and the gaunt look on her face reminded him of Draco.

"I had to put her in a deep sleeping draught because she kept wandering around at night. Her condition is the same as if she had come into contact with a Dementor. She's like a shallow, empty vessel." Poppy finished sadly.

Harry looked at her worried. "But there was no one in the Great Hall other than all of us. Her friends even said they saw no one unfamiliar that night. What if this happens to more students? We need to do something."

Madam Pomfrey gave him a grave look. "I fear this is more dangerous than your second year here Potter. She has no preexisting medical conditions or family genes that would warrant such an episode. In fact, young Miss Bode here was in perfect health, apart from that nasty business with her father, her family was always quite pleasant. I fear we may be under attack once again."

Harry stormed out the hospital wing back to his office. If something was happening at Hogwarts again the students wouldn't be safe. He wasn't so sure the reputation of the school would be able to survive mass hysteria this time around. It had to be kept quiet and more security for students needed to be administered. He would contact some connections in the Auror's department to be stationed around the grounds incognito. The students need not know about it.

AAA

Draco's face was unsympathetic as he looked down at his father's resting figure. Narcissa and Hermione had spent well over an hour trying to get him settled. His was agitated and kept mumbling incoherently. Draco didn't know how to feel. Here was the man who had seemingly abandoned their family on more than one occasion, was the Dark Lord's right hand man, and who made his childhood a living nightmare.

Now here was lying there defenseless, once again crumbling any hope Draco had at being free of him. Narcissa had tried to convince him that his father was changing and that nothing mattered more than getting their happiness again but he couldn't believe a word of it. Not that easily. Not without proof.

He watched how Hermione stood shakily in the corner after dealing with Lucius. Of course she must have been in a right state; this was probably more Malfoy than she had intended to interact with for the day. He caught her attention and motioned for her to follow him out the door. She gladly accepted and excused herself. Narcissa was too busy fusing over Lucius to notice.

"Draco you must be excited to have him back-"Hermione started.

"Please do not be under the impression that I give a damn about where my father is. He is no father of mine," Draco finished.

Hermione didn't push the issue but she knew eventually that they would come to this conversation again.

"So tell me, what of your family?" Draco said as they settled in the kitchen. A house elf popped in and offered to fix them some tea and muffins to which Draco declined. When the elf called Tooke left, Draco started grabbing things from the cupboard.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Fixing you a snack. I'm more powerful here in the manor, closest to my body. Now, about your family?" he said.

Hermione turned away from his gaze. She honestly didn't know where her family was. She just hoped they were happy, living their dreams. She hadn't had the heart to go back and try to undo what she had done. When she casted the spell that awful night, a part of her had left for good. It was the part of her that needed them and a family. She needed not to feel or to mourn in order to be able to turn her back and walk out the doors. She would always love them and that was enough.

"I'm sorry," Draco said. He placed a bowl in front of her.

Hermione looked down and smiled when she saw what he had gotten her.

"Fruity Pebbles? How do you know about muggle cereal, Draco?" she asked taking a large spoonful. It was a simple yet pleasant feeling that erupted through her. She felt normal in that moment.

"One of my distant relatives lived in the muggle world for a bit. She was also into experimenting with potions so Mother had me stay with her a few times. Father never approved. She was quite old and off her rocker. Then again all the Lestrange's are aren't they? Anyways, that was her favorite cereal. Had it every morning for breakfast," he said. Hermione noticed he was watching her eat mournfully and felt guilty.

She reached out and tried to take his hand. It felt airy and light but was not firm. He half-heartedly smiled at the gesture. He liked being here with her.

AAA

Narcissa had not noticed she was alone. Her mind was on Lucius. He was back. He had not abandoned them so there was still hope to have the family she had always wanted. She ran a warm wet cloth across his brow affectionately.

She was reminded of the time when she was first pregnant with Draco. Lucius had gotten sick and was in bed for three days. She wouldn't let Dobby take care of him - that was her job as his wife. She would sit by his bedside and read to him. He had so much love and adoration in his eye. He would reach over and touch her belly saying _that's my boy in there_ over and over with pride.

She was about to get up to find some clothes for him when he reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned to find his eyes open but never really seeing. His pupils were dilated and moving around rapidly.

"Lucius! Lucius can you hear me?" She called.

He groaned and had seemed to be having another fit. She put her hands on his chest trying to soothe him. His breathing began to slow and a low moan escaped his lips.

"Lucius, it's me Narcissa, your wife" she said desperately. "You're safe now".

His eyes found hers and they seemed momentarily focused.

" _Ib, Ren, Ka, Akh"_ he chanted repeatedly before finally passing back out.

She hadn't a clue what he was talking about but was relieved to find him at rest again. She asked Tooke to find him some fresh clothes before settling back down, stroking his hair.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a few days since being at Malfoy Manor and Hermione was quite glad to be rid of it for now. Especially, now that Lucius was back. She shuddered to think what happened if he had shown up in the right state and found her there.

She was in her shop waiting for the clock to hit 1pm so she could meet Ginny and Luna for lunch. She wasn't exactly sure how to tell them but she knew it was only right. Harry was bound to tell Ron.

"Excuse me Miss Granger," said a girlish voice behind her. "Can you show us where the romance novels are?"

Hermione turned to find three pretty looking girls carefully watching her. She instantly felt insecure as these girls looked like they could have been models.

"Uh yeah sure, they are in the back there, by the fire place."

They giggled as they walked back and Hermione could swear she heard one of them say "some hero, looks like her hair needs saving".

Hermione groaned and started fidgeting with hair. Just then the door opened and a handsome man approached her counter.

"Hello, Hermione, all right there?"

Hermione stopped her fidgeting and blushed. "Blaise, it's so good to see you again. Can I help you find anything?"

Blaise shook his head slowly. "Actually Hermione I came to ask if you would have dinner with me tomorrow night? Please say yes," He produced a white rose out of thin air and handed it to her.

Hermione turned as red as tomato. She had never been formally asked on a date before. Just blind dates that Ginny or Luna set up.

"May I ask what the occasion is?" she said.

Blaise smiled so brilliantly that it made her knees weak. "I like you and I had a great time the other night at the bar."

Hermione figured that was as good a reason as any. She could hear the girls from before giggling even more and figured they were ease dropping.

"I'd love to Blaise, and thanks for the rose. It's beautiful," she said happily.

He took her hand in his and kissed it gently sending shivers up her spine.

"I'll pick you up at your place at 8 tomorrow. I remember where it is," he smirked.

Hermione didn't think she could be more embarrassed. She watched him walk out the door. Her heart was pounded out of her chest.

Just then, she looked at her watch, _1:05_ _shit_. She rung up the rest of the people in the shop and closed up before apparating to _Goblin Hut_.

"Hermione there you are, we've been waiting." Luna called out giving her a hug.

"Sorry lost track of time. Blaise came to see me," she said smirking.

She sat down next to Gin who had her face in the menu already. "I'm starving. What did Blaise want Hermione?" she asked.

The waiter came and brought them all water and some strange green bubbling drink.

"What's this?" she asked smelling it suspiciously.

"Compliments of the chef," the waiter said smirking at Ginny.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed it away from her. "I'll take a butter beer and some Rosemary soup please."

The waiter made a look before walking away.

"Hey, he forgot about me," Luna said airily. She turned towards Hermione. "So what did Blaise want?"

"He wants to take me on a date tomorrow night. I'm actually really excited," Hermione said. "He seems like a really cool guy from what I remember that night."

Gin smiled at her. "That's good. Kieran was telling me he talks about you a lot."

The waiter came back and took the rest of their orders. He didn't linger like last time.

Hermione sipped her soup slowly trying to figure out how to explain to them what was going on.

Luna was in the middle of discussing her interaction with some Whizzing Wazzlebees and Ginny was trying hard not to laugh at her.

"I have something important to tell you both…"

They both looked up at her curiously waiting for her to finish. Hermione took a deep breath and started to explain everything that had happened to her since the night Blaise walked her home. She explained how Draco and Narcissa had switched places, the Draco danger was in now, Lucius returning, her apartment being broken in to and Harry's involvement. When she was done she was out of breath staring into their frozen faces.

Ginny looked worried and Luna looked deep in thought.

"Have you found any information on what could be happening?" Ginny asked.

"No not yet."

Ginny sat up suddenly looking frightened. "I have to see Harry."

"Ginny you haven't talked to him months," Hermione said surprised.

She was gathering her purse and left some Galleons on the table. "I need to talk to him."

She ran out the restaurant without saying another word. Hermione looked at Luna who returned her gaze.

"Do you know who might have broken into your apartment?" Luna asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I haven't given it much thought to be honest. I casted a few repelling spells. Nothing was taken."

"Are you going to tell Blaise? He was pretty close with Draco wasn't he?"

Hermione hadn't thought about telling anyone else. Blaise would be the next reasonable person but she didn't want to sully her date either. This was supposed to be a sensitive matter and people outside her little circle didn't need to know just yet.

AAA

Ginny apparated into Hogsmeade and rushed towards the castle. The moment Hermione said Harry was involved Ginny knew she needed to be back by his side. Harry was slightly unstable when it came to these kinds of things and she knew he was itching to rush back into action.

She was nearing the castle gates before she sent a patronus out. The gates opened immediately and she hurried in making sure they closed behind her. Professor Sprout was there to greet her.

"Ginny, so good to see you" she said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"So good to see you too Professor. I just wanted to see Harry."

Professor Sprout gave her a knowing smirk before leaving her. "Have fun dear."

Ginny ran through the castle not caring to admire any of the changes that was made. She knew his office was on the third floor to the right of the statue of Severus Snape. When she was there she suddenly lost all the courage she had. Would he even want to see her? Maybe he had moved on.

It had been over a year since they were really alone and talked. Whenever she was forced to see him on Holidays she would just play with Bill and Fleur's daughter or help her mom in the kitchen. She couldn't bear to be in the same room for too long.

She was about to knock on his office door when it opened itself. Blaise had walked out knocking her over.

"Merlin's beard Ginny, I'm sorry," he said reaching out a hand to help her out.

"Blaise, what are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

Blaise frowned at the uninviting tone of her voice. "Just catching up. I'll see yah around Gin." He said walking away.

Ginny looked after him but didn't say anything. She walked gingerly into the office to find Harry searching through some papers. His hair was as untidy as ever. He was still the strong tall build that she loved to cuddle with at night. His green eyes caught hers and he froze.

They stared at each other for what seemed like ages. Harry seemed nervous but he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was more beautiful than ever. Before he knew what he was doing he had taken her into his arms and slammed his lips against her.

She instantly melted into his embrace and ran her hands through his hair, hungrily bringing him closer. They both understood why she was there and Harry loved her for it. She was everything that was right with the world and the place he kept his heart and his sanity. In the moment he had forgotten everything but what it felt like to be in her arms again.

He took his wand and locked the door to his office before lifting her onto his desk. His hands were all over her buttocks and hers up his shirt. Nothing else mattered in that moment but getting as close as possible. A low growl escaped his lips when she slid her hands down his trousers.

"Ginny," he moaned. "I love you."


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione kept looking at herself in the mirror trying to decide if she liked the way she looked. Blaise would be at her house in ten minutes and she still had to finish her hair.

Ginny had let her borrow a nice red dress that stopped just above her knees with an open back. She filled her lips with red lipstick hoping it wouldn't be over kill.

Then she said a quick little spell to put her hair in an elegant bun fastening it with a glittery clip. Luna had let her borrow a pair of heels that were a reasonable height. It wasn't that Hermione didn't own anything nice, the girls just wanted to be a part of it somehow and wearing their clothes seemed the best way.

She looked at the finishing touches in the mirror praying Blaise would like it. _Okay Hermione, you've known Blaise for years. You can do this._

The doorbell rang and it took all of her effort not to race over there. She waited about minute before finally letting him in hoping she didn't look too eager.

Blaise was there with a smile on his face and a bouquet of white roses in his hand. He offered them to her before saying, "I created these ones myself too."

Hermione's breathe caught in her throat again as she spotted a few butterflies amongst the roses.

"They're beautiful."

She put them in her kitchen and followed him out the door and down the street. He was wearing a nice fitted expensive looking suit with an emerald tie.

"So where are we going?" she asked.

Blaise smiled down at her seductively. "It's another secret but I think you'll have fun."

He apparated them outside of a building just outside of London. It was two stories high made from stone with four windows in the front and decorated with lights and flowers. She could hear the sound of music coming out of the chimney. He held a large red door open for her and followed her in.

"Welcome to Music Box may I take your coats?"

The woman that greeted them was tall and skinny. She had jet black hair and vivid green eyes. Her nose was small and perfect and a dark shade of red tinted her lips. She was eyeing Blaise greedily barely paying attention to Hermione.

 _Typical_.

Blaise only smiled before taking off Hermione's coat himself and handing it to the woman.

"Reservation under Zabini miss," he said.

"Certainly, follow me." She said.

They were seated at a cozy looking table right by the fire place. Blaise held out her chair before taking his. He ordered them a bottle of wine for the table.

"The steak is really good here," he said when she picked up the menu.

"Do you bring all your dates here?" Hermione asked.

"I bring my mother here often," he said seriously. "I don't normally date that much."

Hermione peered at him curiously. That was hard to believe since every woman seemed to want to eat him up.

"So you're close with your mum then?" she asked taking a sip of wine. It was delicious.

"Yeah, my father was kind of not around due to…extracurricular activities. So my mom was the one that really raised me. She saw to it that I never had to want for anything. Then she got sick, and I take care of her now."

Hermione could tell that he probably wouldn't want to talk about his mother any longer but she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"What does she have?"

Blaise smiled slightly at her but his eyes held such sadness in them. _Oh great Hermione make the first man to ask you out hate you for being a nosy know it all._

"We don't know. I've taken her to every doctor I could find. No answers yet. But she's growing weaker every year. Sometimes she doesn't even remember who I am." Blaise was angry now.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Hermione said meekly.

He brushed it off and took a large sip of his wine. The waiter came and they both ordered steak. A band of goblins started to play a light tune and various guests took to the dance floor.

Blaise stood up and extended his hand. "Care to dance while we wait?"

She wasn't a particularly good dancer but she took his hand none the less. He pulled her close to his chest and started to move gracefully to the tune humming along in her ear. His voice was deep and arousing.

His body on hers was electric. He was broad and hard as if he worked out every day for the past ten years, it was almost abnormal. She put her head on his chest listening to his heart. It too was strangely abnormal. It didn't beat as often as it probably should have.

She would have been skeptical if his scent hadn't been invading her senses making her dizzy with anticipation. It was musty but earthy with something else she couldn't quite place. His hands were inching lower onto her back with every sway. He looked down at her, pure lust in his eyes.

His lips looked welcoming and full and she yearned to know what they tasted like. He raised his hands and settled them under her chin lifting her head up so he could see eye to eye. He seemed to be asking for her permission.

Hermione gladly accepted lifting her toes to meet him. When her lips finally met his a thousand feelings rushed to her brain. Satisfaction, hunger and lust to name a few. However there were alarms going off in her head. Something was not right but she couldn't tell what. All of her physical senses were focused on wanting more of Blaise.

When he pulled apart, he ushered them back to the table where the food was sitting looking as delicious as ever. Hermione sat down gingerly not wanting to say anything to ruin the moment.

She took a bite of the steak. Blaise was right, it was pure perfection. An hour later they had finished their meals and walked out hand in hand. Blaise was still humming merrily. He turned to face her.

"I had a really nice time Hermione."

"Me too Blaise. You're a great dancer," she said.

He lifted her arm and spun her around. She laughed looking up at the night sky.

"I'll apparate you home."

Within seconds they were at her doorstep. She looked into his eyes to find the same look of desire that was in there before. Then something changed.

There was a look of horror in his eyes and suddenly a fist came out of nowhere punching him in the face. He fell to the ground and Hermione screamed reaching for her wand. Just then another pair of arms wrapped around her from behind wrenching her wand from her hand. She heard someone cast a spell and everything went dark. Her body slumped to the ground.

The figures carefully watched her making sure she didn't move before they chained her up and apparated her out of there. Blaise had regained some of his consciousness but he had a massive headache.

He looked around making sure no one else was there before disappearing.

AAA

It had been three days since Hermione's disappearance. No one had heard from either her or Blaise and Harry had the whole wizarding world on alert for her. He was sitting at Malfoy Manor along with Ginny, Luna, Ron and Draco trying to come up with some sort of plan to get back.

Tooke had served them all a delicious looking of salmon and vegetables but hardly anyone ate except for Ron who was filling his face with as much food as possible.

"You're disgusting," Ginny said.

Ron swallowed hard before saying, "None of us are going to be able to find Hermione on an empty stomach so sod off Gin." Then he filled his plate with more food.

Draco had been looking distant the entire night since they had arrived and told him what had happened. He dared not give away Blaise but he was pissed. Why had he never said anything to him before?

Narcissa came down from Lucius' room to join them for dinner. Tooke pulled out her seat filling her glass and cutting her a piece of salmon.

"Any news?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," Harry said. "We can't locate Blaise as well."

Ginny looked at Harry quizzically. "Harry what was Blaise doing outside your office the other day?"

Everyone started to look at him. It took all of Draco's efforts to stay calm. Harry sighed.

"We've been working on finding someone the past few months. I can't say who because it's top secret but Blaise had heard rumors of this guy finding some weapon he was going to use to avenge Voldemort."

Draco frowned. Blaise had also never said anything about speaking with Harry. Whatever Blaise was planning was big if he needed to involve Harry and Hermione to stop the _thing_. He wasn't sure if he should tell them all or not that Blaise was on their side, stuck in the same predicament as Draco, though now that Draco thought about it, Blaise never said anything about his soul being able to return to his body. In fact, he had never even asked Blaise what his intentions were. He just assumed that they were on the same side since they were friends.

"Do you know anyone that knew about this, Harry? That would want Blaise dead because of it?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry said. "Not unless it was some death eaters that had been tailing him. He did seem to be worried he was being followed. Never said by who though."

Harry put his head in his hands and groaned while Ginny patted his back soothingly.

"It's not your fault Harry. We just can't keep secrets anymore if we are going to survive this. Everything has to be out in the open," Ginny said looking at Draco specifically.

But it was Harry that spoke first. "Something happened at Hogwarts, to a young girl. We were in the Great Hall for Dinner and she screamed and had a fit. We moved her to St. Mungo's but she didn't make it more than a day there before dying."

"Blimey happened to her?" Ron asked.

"No one knows. We are trying to keep it hushed up a bit until we do. Don't want to cause panic. You know how Hogwarts can get," Harry said.

Suddenly, they heard a disturbance from upstairs and Tooke excused herself immediately to check on Lucius.

"Narcissa, how is Lucius doing?" Luna asked politely.

Narcissa smiled at the girl who she always thought was bit strange but pretty in her right. She had a kind heart. When she was trapped in the Manor she never let the dark dungeon strip her of her spirit.

"He's doing alright I think," she said. "He keeps mumbling something that I can't seem to make out. It sounds like " _Akh_ and _Ren_ and _Ib_ or _Ab_ I don't know. Seems like a bunch of rubbish to me."

They all fell back into silence looking defeated.

"Sounds like Egyptian to me," Ron said.

Everyone looked at him quizzically. He seemed almost offended.

"We went to Egypt remember. Our third year. There was a bloke there mumbling some nonsense that sounded just like that bit there. Remember Gin, he was pacing outside one of the tombs. Fred and George wanted to give him a bit of Tongue Tying Toffee but mum caught them."

Light seemed to emerge in all their eyes. Narcissa and Draco had even managed to smile.

"That's it then," Narcissa said. "Let's go to the library and look up everything about ancient Egypt."


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione woke up on the stone cold ground to a plate of stale looking bread and a dirty mug of water next to her. That had been the routine for the past five days now. She would spend her days sitting in a dark cell reading scraps of newspaper clippings the faint light of a lantern hanging from the brick wall.

There had clearly been a prisoner there before because she could smell urine in one of the corners and she could have sworn the small pile of ash may have been a person at some point.

Her leg was still hurting her badly after being unceremoniously tossed in the cage. She didn't think it was broken but something didn't feel right about it. It hurt whenever she tried to walk. There was blood coming from her head the first night she had gotten there but she managed to stopper it with a piece of cloth she tore from Ginny's red dress. She had no idea where her shoes or her wand was.

Today was the first morning she didn't wake up crying. She had had enough with feeling defeated and needed to find answers and a way out of there. She had no idea where she was and could barely remember the night she was kidnapped. She was in full survival mode now and all of her senses were heightened, straining for anything that could help her escape.

She held her breath and chugged the water, ignoring the bread. Even from a distance she could see some mold growing on it. She stood up and started to analyze her surroundings again. The ceilings were pretty high so it made it seem like she was in an attic of some sort rather than a basement. There was also a whistling sound coming from a small window high up confirming her beliefs- It was the wind.

She felt around the dark room for a way to climb but there wasn't anything stable to hold on to. Just then she heard hushed voices.

"Why does he want this mudblood specifically? There's plenty we can use for the ritual? I thought the Bode girl would be enough," said a small voice.

"I told yer, I don't know. Probably something ter do wiff that Harry Potter," said another voice.

The voices drifted away and she couldn't make out anything else they were saying. So they were going to use her to get to Harry she thought. She needed to escape and fast.

Her mind travelled to everything she could remember about her kidnapping. She had blacked out but didn't wake up in the cell. She was tied up somewhere else but wasn't sure where. She could remember hearing the cry of a bird but what kind of bird was it? It sounded almost like a phoenix but that was impossible.

She thought about Blaise and wondered what happened to him? The last thing she remembered was seeing him unconscious on the ground. She thought about Harry and Ron. They would surely know she was missing by now. An image of Draco suddenly popped in her head and her body began to tingle.

They were back in his library and he was watching her with interest and what seemed strangely like desire. She tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear nervously.

"So, where were we?" she asked referring to the small book in her hand.

Draco didn't reply but instead got up and moved closer to her. Heat began to rise between them. He traced her chin with his finger and she could feel his hot breath on her neck as he lowered his lips to her skin. A moaned escaped her as soon as he made contact and she felt herself melt into him wanting more.

 _What was happening?_

She looked around but was still in the attic. Whatever she had just seen felt so real. She touched her neck and could swear she could still feel his lips there. It felt the same back from that day in her book store when she found that yellow book, but what did it mean?

She thought harder about Draco. His silver eyes and platinum hair until she could picture him perfectly.

"Draco," she whispered.

It took a few moments before she heard a reply that made her heart race.

" _Hermione? Is this really you?"_

AAA

Draco had been in the middle of looking for Blaise in the underworld when he felt it. Someone was pulling his very essence. Before he knew it he was in his library back at home watching Hermione search through a book. It was yellow and old looking.

The only thing he could focus on was how beautiful she looked. He needed to get closer to her. Something inside him was begging to get closer to her so he did.

He was about to come to his senses when he heard it. She said his name. The sound vibrated throughout his entire being. It was like being out in the snow all day and finally settling by a blazing fire. He felt warm. But she was missing. How could he be with her now? Was it a trick?

"Hermione? Is this really you?" he called out.

His mind went fuzzy for a moment and when the fog cleared, he was staring up at a large house. It looked like it may have been beautiful at some point but was falling into neglect and decay. There was ivy hanging all over it and the wood needed a good coat of paint-or three. He tried to look through the windows but they were all blocked. There was one high up at the top of the house that was small and rounded.

The yard had bushes and tall grass everywhere. The coming winter was starting to kill it off. He turned around to inspect everything around him. Down the road there was what looked like a small grave yard and down the other direction was a church. But it was the house across the street that captured his attention most though. It looked like someone had blasted a hole through the roof and left it there. Draco took a step forward to analyze it more when everything went fuzzy again and he was back in the underworld.

 _What the hell was that?_

He needed to go see Harry.

AAA

Harry was sitting in the Auror's office waiting for Kingsley Shacklebolt. Since Hermione and Blaise's disappearance there were six more cases around London like Miss Bodes. They were all transported to St. Mungo's and died within the day.

The ministry was in total chaos now. He feared the same would happen to Hermione if they couldn't find her. This was all his fault. He should have been a better protector, a better friend in her life- all of their lives. But instead he shut himself up at Hogwarts. If only he had been there more for her, he would have more answers on who she was in contact with and who would want to harm her.

"Mr. Potter, there you are," said a strong voice. Instead of shaking his hand he pulled Harry into a hug patting his back. "Sorry to hear about Hermione, we are doing the best we can but there's something you need to see."

He took Harry to his office and shut the door behind them. In the middle of the room was a large orb floating in the air. It looked like a globe.

"What exactly is that Minister?" Harry asked.

"That Harry, is how we keep an eye on magical activity around the world. Areas in green are normal. Area's in yellow are places that we need to send someone to inspect it for potential danger and areas in red, well, you get the idea," Kingsley said hurriedly.

Harry circled around the orb interestedly. Most of it was green with a few spots of yellow here and there. The real issue was a tiny spot on the continent of Africa that was blaring red. Harry looked at the minister questioningly.

"That started happening about six days ago-just before you alerted us of Miss Granger's disappearance. It had been yellow for a while but everyone we sent to investigate came back with nothing. When it started to glow red, everyone we sent didn't come back at all. We think the deaths in London are somehow connected with whatever evil activity is going on over there. That's why I brought you in Harry. We need someone to go over there…"

Harry stared into the orb taking in everything. All of these occurrences were linked somehow and this may be the answer to getting Hermione back and maybe even helping Draco. It couldn't be a coincidence that Lucius turns up mumbling ancient Egyptian gibberish and now the Minister himself was telling him he needed to go that very place.


	11. Chapter 11

The door creaked open and Hermione looked up to see a small battered looking Wizard walk in. She braced herself for a fight but none ever came. The strange Wizard was wearing a dark maroon robe with the hood extended out far enough to cast a shadow over the face. Hermione noticed a distinct hunch and limp in the stranger and let her guard down slightly.

"Who are you? What am I doing here?" she asked, anger rising in her voice. "My friends will find me soon. They're Auror's."

The old looking wizard grunted but did not respond. Blue wisps were floating out of the tip and moving about the room gently eroding everything in its path. Hermione was mesmerized watching as the room was becoming cleaner and cleaner by the minute.

The wizard turned to her and with a slight inclination of his head nodded to her before turning around to leave.

"Wait!" Hermione called out desperately.

To her surprise the Wizard actually paused though didn't turn around to face her. "Why are you doing this?"

It felt like ages that the wizard had stood there breathing heavily facing the door. "It is for a better world. A stronger world." Then the figure was gone.

Just as the door slammed shut a loud pop caused Hermione to scream. "What the hell!?"

"Sorry Miss. I isn't mean to scare you." A tiny house elf appeared in front of Hermione looking at her nervously. Her ears were much larger than normal and she had a kind though tired looking face.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked catching her breathe.

The house elf proceeded to busy herself around the room finishing the unknown wizards work at tidying up the room.

"Sorry about Master, he is always liking to scare Miss's."

Hermione gave the elf a curious look. So that man was her Master, but she still had no idea who he was. She stood up and followed the elf around the room.

Hermione tried a different approach. "My name is Hermione Granger? What's yours?" she said politely.

The elf turned and smiled. "Flory Miss."

"Nice to meet you Flory. May I ask why you are cleaning out my prison?"

Flory's laugh was somewhere between and yelp and a hiccup and Hermione though it was one of the sweetest things she's ever heard. It was a shame that such a lovely creature was living in a dark place like this. It made her heart ache.

"For the party Miss. You is the guest of honor!" Flory looked absolutely delighted at the idea of having a party but Hermione had a feeling it wasn't the kind of party with balloons and cake.

The elf was now conjuring chairs and small tables around the room and lining the walls with dark drapes. It started to look like a mini lounge.

"I didn't know house elves could make objects," Hermione said impressed. Flory only giggled in response before dancing around the room humming a faint tune under her breath. Hermione had to admire the house elf's positive energy. It gave her hope and that was all she needed to stay strong until she was rescued.

By the time Flory was done the room looked completely different. The stench of death and decay was replaced but rubber and cloth. The dusty floors were polished and almost shining. Hermione was busy inspecting the drapery when she felt a slight stinging in her leg. She looked down to see Flory healing her leg and wiping it clean.

"Thank you, Flory. I needed that."

Flory took her hand and started leading her out of the room. "Come on Miss. I is showing you to your new room."

Hermione didn't say anything nor did she dare try to run. She had no idea what was on the other side of the door or how many dark wizards were near. When they got downstairs a feeling of _deja vu_ took over her. The elf led her through a windy hallway. All the doors were closed but she couldn't help but feel like she had been there before. All the windows had black curtains adorning them so there was no way she could see outside. There were a few frames on the walls but none of them had any pictures in them. She was starting to feel like she was in the twilight zone.

When they finally reached what she assumed was her new room, the elf rushed inside dragging Hermione along with her. The room was small but it still held a four poster bed, night stand and small reading desk with a book and lamp on it. The wallpaper was faded baby blue and peeling in many spots. The floor creaked and was cold under her bare feet.

"There is clothes on the bed for you Miss. I is bringing food up in the next hour." With another pop Flory was gone.

Hermione walked over to the bed and held up a familiar of pair of worn out jeans, a green sweater and shoes. They were hers. Confused Hermione changed glad to get rid of the dress she was in for the past few days. She walked over to the reading desk and picked up the large book. _Hogwarts A History._ Someone had a sick sense of humor she thought. None the less she sat and turned the lamp on, engulfing herself in the text she had memorized years ago she had momentarily forgotten about her strange encounter with Draco and the sense that he had heard her call out to him. She just needed to clear her head with something familiar while hoping that Flory would at least bring her a decent meal.

AAA

"I swear I don't know what happened!" Draco was staring at an angry looking Ginny, Harry and Ron trying to defend himself. "One minute I'm back down there and the next I hear calling for me in the library back at the manor. I don't know how it's possible."

All of them were sitting at 12 Grimmauld Place in the kitchen trying to keep tensions low while Kreacher was making dinner. Ron had showed up two days ago when he heard about Hermione's disappearance. He couldn't decide if he was angrier at Harry for not telling him personally or for all of them trying to help Draco. He sulked in his chair looking surly.

"I still don't understand why she would call out for you Ferret" Ron said.

Ginny gave him a pathetic look. "Not now Ron. You left Hermione ages ago so it's not like she would be asking for you".

Ron looked at Ginny slightly hurt didn't respond. She turned to Draco.

"You need to keep trying to focus whatever cosmic energy you got going on there to see if you can channel her again. Maybe you guys are connected somehow since you're a ghost."

She proceeded to put place settings on the table and levitated a large pot of stew over to them. Kreacher looked offended at the help. Ron immediately dug in helping himself to a whole loaf of bread and a bowl of stew, his anger momentarily gone.

Everyone else started to load their plates while Draco sat there looking out of place. He couldn't remember the last time he had food.

"Shacklebolt is sending a team into Egypt tomorrow and I'm going with them," Harry said finally.

"I thought we were going to look for Hermione?" Ron said.

"There's a team looking for her too, but this is also a pressing matter we can't ignore. Something dangerous is happening out there and the ministry thinks it's connected."

Ron slammed his fist on the table. "Screw the bloody ministry. Hermione is more important."

Draco wanted to agree but his pride held him back. He watched Harry and Ron shoot daggers at each other.

"Fighting isn't going to help," Ginny said. "Harry has to go Ron but that doesn't mean we are going to give up on our end here. Luna, Draco and I are going into Knock turn Alley tomorrow to poke around and see if we can something out. We could use your help if you promise not to muck everything up like you always do."

Ron settled down but was still clearly angry at Harry for choosing to leave them to help the ministry. They ate in an awkward silence for the remainder of the meal, everyone too distressed to talk or think about anyone else except Hermione. Harry was already feeling guilty because he distanced himself from his friends. Ginny felt guilty because she let Kieran distract her. Ron felt guilty because they didn't end of good terms and Draco felt guilty because he had brought her in to this mess in the first place.

Draco felt a prickling feeling in his side and scratched at it distractedly. He was trying to focus all his energy on seeing Hermione in the library again but nothing came up. It was like trying to fight through radio static, searching for a clear channel. His end was open but hers blocked.


	12. Chapter 12

Ginny had just finished changing Luna's hair to a glossy black when Draco appeared in front of them. He looked around to see Ron fussing with some strange looking robes in the mirror while Luna was practicing her "bad guy" voice.

Ginny's hair was brown and looked ragged and tangled and her clothes made her look like a beggar on the street.

"You guys are going all out here. I would have thought a concealment charm would suffice," Draco said.

Ginny scoffed as if that was a trivial idea. "We need to blend in so we can actually talk to people, Draco. Simply eavesdropping won't be enough. "

"Right," he said not wanting to argue.

"Why are you even here Malfoy? Thought you'd be off with Harry trying to save the world and clear your family name" Ron said acidly.

Draco had had enough of Ron's bitter resentment for him. "For your information Weasel, I sought Hermione out for help because she's one of the smartest witches I have ever met. I'm not about to abandon her now because there's a bigger prize somewhere else."

Ginny looked at Draco as if she had never see him before. Luna applauded his small speech while Ron walked up to him in a huff.

They were nose to nose with each other looking haughty and ready to fight. "Don't think for a minute that you will get her Malfoy. You may have everyone else fooled, but I see through what you're doing."

Malfoys eyed narrowed. "And just what exactly do you think I'm doing Weasel?"

"Enough!" Ginny yelled. "It's time to go. We can take the floo. Draco are you going to be able to disguise yourself? Surely everyone knows your dead?"

Draco stepped back from Ron and turned to address Ginny. "I'll be close by don't worry no one will be able to see me. I'll meet you at the entrance." With that he morphed into a misty substance and was gone.

Ginny ushered them all into the floo looking uneasy. As much as she trusted Harry's judgment in Malfoy, there was still something weird going on. Something big was coming.

AAA

When they got to the entrance of Knockturn Alley, Ginny looked around hoping to spot Draco. He would be their best chance down there as he knew it best. Suddenly, a gust of wind came and she felt a light, airy hand on her shoulder.

"It's me, Draco." He said soothingly as she stiffened. "Follow the cobblestone path to _Borgin and Burkes_. We will start there. Ask for Borgin. We need to find out if any high price items have been sold lately."

"Why do we need to know that?" Ginny asked. "We need to find out if anyone has seen Hermione."

"Not just yet," Draco replied. "We need to find out first if anyone has been collecting anything dangerous within the past few weeks. Since the war everyone's been trying to get rid of their dark objects. Anyone collecting it would be up to no good. If we know a name it can help narrow down suspects. "

Ginny sighed, unconvincingly but led them all down the path. There was a woman laying by the roadside mumbling to herself. She eyed them suspiciously as they walked past but didn't say anything.

"Oh my," Luna called out. "This woman has a whole infestation of Wackspurts around her!"

"What did you call me!?" hissed the woman angrily.

Ron shoved Luna further down the road before the woman could attack her. "You're supposed to be in disguise Luna!"

Luna shrugged and caught up to Ginny. When they reached the entrance of the shop, Draco said "I need time to find Borgin's account book. That's where he keeps his list of names. You guys need to distract him."

They all nodded understanding the plan and went in. The door jingled with an ominous shrill sound.

They walked in with caution trying not to touch anything near the doorway not for fear of breaking anything but out of fear of touching a cursed object. Ron's eyes were glued to a pair of skeleton hands on a velvet cushion. He could have sworn he saw them move.

"What do you lot want?" came a low voice from behind a bookshelf. Suddenly, a tall, slender man came into their view. He had one striking blue eye and one dull brown. His mouth had gone up into a snarl. He was holding a think leather bonded book in his arms.

Before Ginny could muster up anything intelligent to say, Luna had step closer to him. "You must be Borgin. I'm looking for a special item to place a curse on. I have a nasty ex-husband trying to get his hands on what's left of my dowry."

Ron and Ginny looked at her with their mouth agape. The man in front of them glared at her suspiciously but then the corners of his mouth went up slightly.

"I have a few volumes on the various ways to brew potions to infuse into the objects as well" the man said eagerly. He placed the book in his hand down on one of the small tables before sifting through volumes of books on the shelf.

Draco took the opportune moment to breeze past them and open the book slowly.

"Bit drafty in here, "Luna said dramatically.

Draco rolled his eyes but continued quickly. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for but knew he didn't have a lot of time to do it. He scanned the pages, looking for something to pop out at him when suddenly he came across a name that didn't make sense.

 _Blaise Zabini- 7 Dark Conjuring Stones, Opal- Delivery (Godric's Hollow)- October 13th_

Draco closed the book gently. Borgin was a private, meticulous, old fashioned man. He kept logs of everything protected by a concealment charm. During Draco's sixth year at Hogwarts he had spent a lot of time with the man and the vanishing cabinet. They had become so close that Borgin had allowed Draco to help him with some of the sales allowing him access to the book. It was amazing some of the items that had been sold throughout the years. Draco found himself captivated by it all and if the war had gone according to Voldemort's plan, he could see himself going back to the shop to work there and expand it. He always had interest in magical artifacts and potions. That dream seemed so far away now as he was fighting for his life and as it turned out the wizarding world.

He flew over to Ginny and tapped her on the shoulder lightly as to not startle her signaling that they could leave. Ginny gave Luna a knowing look and interrupted Borgin in the middle of his ranting.

"The warts have a stinging liquid in them too so when you pop them…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt sir, but I forgot that I left a roast in the oven and we really need to get home before it burns!" Ginny said with urgency.

She grabbed Luna and Ron and ushered them to the door. Borgin looked at them in confusion putting the book in his hand down.

When they got outside, Ron turned to Luna happily. "That was bloody brilliant Luna. How did you think of that stuff back there so fast?"

"Oh it was easy my great aunt did that to her ex-husband. He's in St. Mungo's now and she's somewhere in the islands hiding out."

Everyone turned to stare at her, hoping there was some hint of a joke on her face but there was none. Ginny cleared her throat and turned to Draco.

"Did you find anything in that book?"

Draco swallowed hard, feeling a bit light headed. "Yeah," he struggled to say. "I think Hermione's in Godric's Hollow."

Now it was everyone else's turn to stare at him.

Ron was the first to speak, "How do you know that exactly?"

Draco looked at Ginny not really wanting to address Ron directly out of spite. "I saw the name of someone that I work with in the Underground. He came up here to purchase something a few days before Hermione disappeared. Borgin wrote down that he delivered the items to there. "

"What were the items?" Luna asked.

"Dark Conjuring Crystals. I have a feeling they may be doing some sort of ritual to bring the Dark Lords energy ball back up here."

"We need to get to Godric's Hollow now!" Ron said.

"No! We need a plan and we need Harry" Ginny said. "We don't know what this ritual is and we don't know what kind of monsters we're up against. Let's go back to Grimmauld Place to send an owl to Harry and Shacklebolt."

Though frustrated, Ron turned and followed them out of Knockturn Alley. Like him, they all hoped that there was still time to find Hermione before the Dark Lord was going to start whatever it is he was planning.


End file.
